Dartmouth remembers computing anniversary

Getting back to BASICs 40 Years Later

In the early hours of May 1, 1964, a quiet transaction at Dartmouth made computing history. It was on this day 40 years ago that two Dartmouth mathematics professors, John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz, launched their BASIC computing language with the help of many industrious undergraduates. Two of these students, pulling an all-nighter while their professors slept, successfully ran two simple BASIC programs at about 4 a.m. on two separate Teletype terminals located in the basement of College Hall, which was part of the current Collis Center. BASIC (which stands for Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) went on to be the most widely used computer language in the world, according to Kurtz, bringing computer technology to general audiences.

Thomas Kurtz (above), the co-creator of the BASIC computer language that was popular in the 60s, 70s and 80s, enjoys the "unplugged" conveniences of a modern laptop computer using Dartmouth's wireless network. (photo by Joe Mehling '69)

BASIC ran on the Dartmouth Time Sharing System (DTSS), a network of multiple simple terminals connected to a large computer, which was about a five-year-old idea at the time. DTSS became the early model for future large and more complex networks, and both BASIC and DTSS laid the groundwork for many of the computer applications we see today.

"BASIC and DTSS are inextricably linked," says Kurtz, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Emeritus. "You can't talk about one without the other. And it was our students, really, who did most of the work, with guidance of course from Kemeny and me. This wouldn't have happened without them."

In the late 50s and early 60s, Kurtz and Kemeny had a vision to create an environment where computers were welcoming to everyone, even to students pursuing non scientific or math related degrees. They also reasoned that their computer system should be readily available to students, with work areas in convenient places using a time sharing system that was also easy to use. To achieve these goals, they developed their BASIC computer language, which was descended from FORTRAN and ALGOL, and implemented DTSS with help from many undergraduate student programmers. The group made plans to introduce BASIC as part of two fundamental math courses. Most Dartmouth students at the time took at least one of them.

"Lecturing about computing doesn't make any sense, any more than lecturing on how to drive a car makes sense. You just can't get the idea across," Kurtz said in a 1981 presentation to the Association for Computing Machinery. "So we decided that students had to write computer programs [as part of their courses]."

BASIC used simple, common sense commands like LIST, SAVE, RUN, END and PRINT. According to Kurtz, BASIC was one of the world's most widely known computer languages thanks to grass roots outreach efforts that brought the technology to a network of high schools, colleges and corporate partners. Variations of BASIC are still used today.

The vision of Kurtz and Kemeny continues as Dartmouth still embraces the principle of providing modern computer and Internet resources to everyone, not just those majoring in computer science. Computing Services personnel regularly consult with and work with faculty and students from around campus to implement new technology, like the campus wide wireless network and the new convergence of phone, data and cable systems. Dartmouth's new Neukom Institute for Computational Science (see related press release) carries on this legacy with a center dedicated to computational teaching, research and interdisciplinary study.

By SUSAN KNAPP

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